Chartering a cruise ship can benefit your congregation
There are many advantages of chartering a cruise ship (whether it’s a full charter or partial charter) for large churches, small groups or companies, the options are endless. Host your next marriage conference while cruising the Rhine River, take to the seas in a stunning sail ship while retracing the steps of Paul, host your next fundraising event aboard a luxury ship while building relationships with those who are cheerfully looking to help develop the ministries at your church or organization. The following chart lists many of the benefits attached to using a cruise ship for your congregation. We hope you’ll find the information helpful.
Why are So Many Groups Choosing to Meet on a Cruise Ship? |
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Land-only venues |
Cruise Ship |
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| Travel Efficiency | Much time each day is spent just getting to and from the hotel to the meetings/meals. | Meetings, entertainment, and meals all continue while the ship moves from place to place. |
| Menu Flexibility | Pre-paid meals at hotels are limited in variety | Menus are wonderfully varied. Many ships now even offer different types of restaurants. |
| Transportation Needs | Depending on group size, transfers can be nightmarish to arrange since they can involve different airports and different hotels. | Airport transfers become much simpler as every attendee is going to the same place – the ship. |
| Pairing Exotic Enticement with Comforts of Home | Too often the enticement of fascinating land-based venues also means added frustration with currency, drinking water, language, unfamiliar customs, and different appliance requirements. | Cruise passengers can rely on safe water, consistent voltage needs, a crew accustomed to accommodating passengers from various countries, and most ships now have eliminated the nuisance of trying to figure currency exchange rates by setting up one-time-payment and accepting most major credit cards. |
| Luxury of venue already assumed | Hotels vary in rating-to-actuality status and are often totally unknown to the potential attendee. | Because cruise ships already have the reputation of luxury, the ship itself becomes a big part of the attraction. |
| Easy adaptation to varying group sizes | Too often, small hotels often lack facilities that groups want and mammoth hotels are devoid of any sense of community. | Cruise ships vary in size, to accommodate groups from 20 to 2000 or more. Yet, planning allows relationships to develop, informal spontaneous discussion groups, easy traffic flow, and a variety of room types to suit varying tastes. |
| Variety of destinations | Land-based group gatherings are typically single-city, with “extensions” to other nearby areas offered as options at additional cost | Cruise ships move from port to port, offering built-in variety. |
| Cost control | Many costs such as airport transfers, inter-venue transportation, and number of meeting rooms are extremely difficult to pre-determine without losing deposits. | Many of the costs are either set (such as meeting rooms) or eliminated (such as inter-venue transportation! |
